15 Tips For Learning To Drive

From Redditor /u/[deleted]

Be observant. Watch the cars around you. Watch what happens inside the car too. Turn off the radio for the first six to eight months. This reduces distractions.

Learn the car's size. Knowing where the bumpers and opposite side are, compared to your seat, makes driving much less scary.

From Redditor /u/shlerm

Drive smoothly. Use the throttle, brakes, and steering (or clutch if you drive a manual). Treat every move like a flowchart. Practice slowly, then build confidence.

Use what you have to keep track of yourself and others. Mirrors and shoulder checks assure you everything is okay.

You control the speed. If someone pressures you to go faster, remember you are in charge. If they want to pass, they can, but they must wait for a chance.

Enjoy driving. It is a freeing experience. It is a fun exercise in physics and engineering.

From Redditor /u/caffeine_lights

Once you feel more confident, find simple routes on Google Maps. Try driving in quiet areas during quiet times until you observe road markings and signs well. Build up slowly. If you struggle with something, hire a driving instructor for a few lessons focused on that issue.

As a later learner (I am 28, not in the US), do not rush. Take your time. You will likely drive better than most people who learn at sixteen. Twenty-three is not old. Many people in Europe learn to drive at your age or later. Later learners pick things up fast because they are more mature and less concerned with others' opinions. You probably know more about driving from stories and watching friends and family drive, which you have done for seven more years than others.

From Redditor /u/

From Redditor /u/patrickeg

Learn the right of way. Right of way usually means applying general traffic rules based on the situation and logic. Practice it. Think of scenarios or watch situations happen. Train yourself to think about the right of way in every driving move. Many accidents happen because people misunderstand the right of way rules.

Also, although it is not a law, signal then brake as a courtesy to other drivers. Do not hit the brakes and leave people guessing. Signaling shows others what you plan to do before you change speed or direction. This is just good practice.

Finally, relax. Take it easy and focus on smooth, thoughtful driving. Assume others do not know what they are doing and act that way. Be careful. Winning in a shaky vehicle situation like a physical fight means avoiding it first.

Redditor /u/caffeine_lights

There are three ways to learn.

Find a driving school offering intensive courses over a week or several weekends. You go in a car, drive four hours, then take a break. Back in the car, you keep driving with an instructor. This method is fast, but it costs money and might require time off work. Some argue you do not gain deep understanding learning this fast.

Find an affordable driving school and pay for one lesson weekly. This approach is faster, safer, and better than using friends. It costs less than intensive tuition. If you have a tough week with exams or money, you can skip a week. One lesson a week works because it lets you think about what you learned between drives. Going a couple of times a week is even better.

This is the cheapest but slowest option. Get a car or borrow one. Get a learner's permit. Buy and read the road rules. Find a friend to supervise you when they are free. Start at the quietest parking lot you know on a calm day. Begin driving. Practice stopping, starting, turning, signaling, checking mirrors, reversing, and gear changes if driving a manual. Feel how the car responds to you. Use cones if you have them to judge distance. Otherwise, practice aiming for parking spots and check how close you came.

Redditor /u/K80_k

Practice in a parking lot

Adjust your rearview and side-view mirrors before starting the car.

The driving instructor will dislike this. To check your blind spot, lean forward and look in the side mirror.

When switching lanes on a highway or freeway, watch the rearview mirror. See the car's color or make. Look for a large gap behind it. This shows you the space is clear when it passes you.

Look with your head, not your shoulders! Like snowboarding, you turn the steering wheel where your shoulders point. This part was hardest for me to learn.

Every car's brakes react differently. Test them out before hitting major roads, like when leaving a driveway or parking lot.

Redditor /u/ninjaluvr

Stay aware. Look around constantly and know your position. If a car suddenly stops in front of you, can you stop in time? Can you change lanes to avoid it?

People say they don't talk on their phones, but you still see them doing it every day.

Use your turn signals. Every day, I turn into a street, and a car coming down the street I turn into slows down and turns onto my street.

If they used their signal, I would know I could pull out. Signals reduce traffic and make driving safer.

Redditor /u/Keep Your Distance.

Always assume the car ahead stops suddenly without warning. Keep your distance because you do not know what they see that makes them stomp on the brakes. Or maybe the car ahead does a lip-stand and stops fast. Aim for enough space to stop without hitting them when it happens.

Redditor /u/BongRipsForBuddha.

My dad taught me when I learned to drive that the brake is the most important pedal.

You will be fine with practice. Also, when I learned to drive as a passenger, I tried to think from the driver's view—watching signs, looking for road hazards, etc.

Redditor /u/Practice and never assume anything.

Practice in empty parking lots. Practice a lot. Learn how the car reacts to different things.

Never assume other drivers are experts. The driver who just cut you off might be just as inexperienced.

Redditor /u/Sedillio.

Keep your head moving constantly.

Check your driver side mirror, the front window, your speed, the front window, your rearview mirror, the front window, and your passenger-side mirror, the front window.

Moving your eyes stops tunnel vision of the road. This lets you see stop signs and red lights.

Situational awareness is key. You will not know how to react if you do not know what is happening around you. Practice. Practice. Practice. That is the only way to get better. Drive out as often as you can.

Redditor /u/Astreja.

I did not learn to drive until I was 44. I wanted a license and a car since I was a kid, but money and life events did not align until I was older.

I failed the exam three times. I passed on the fourth try. I made small, stupid mistakes, like not stopping at a stop sign. I finally got it right.

Learn to shoulder check. Always check before changing lanes.

Keep a good gap between you and the car ahead. Take your foot off the gas and get ready to slow down or stop the second you see the lead car's brake lights.

Also, know if a green light ahead is 'stale' (meaning the 'Don't Walk' signs are already flashing). This prevents you from having to slam on the brakes to avoid a red light.

In bad weather, triple your stopping distance.

Redditor /u/InsuranceGuy22.

As an insurance broker and self-proclaimed awesome driver, I offer my two cents.

Take your time. Don't rush. If someone honks behind you, just relax and let them pass. Don't let Honky Mcgee get away.

Pay attention to everything around you. Know where you are going. Watch the road, other drivers, pedestrians. Read and follow traffic signs.

Drive only. Do not use your cell phone. Leave the radio alone.

Always keep one or two car lengths between you and the person ahead.

Use your signals to tell others where you want to go or are going.

From Redditor /u/yehhhhs

Do not stare only at the road ahead. Instead, scan the scene from left to right and back. Get comfortable first. Set the seat and mirrors exactly how you want them. Put on your music or station. Set the heat right. Stay relaxed!

From Redditor /u/THELIFESAVOR

Practice parallel parking many times before you need it. Watch a video on how. Set up cones. You avoid embarrassment later when friends are in the car and you cannot park. If you can, you look legit!